The best entertainers make their work appear effortless. Kevin Brauch manages to do this and look like he's having a hell of a lot of fun at the same time. When he isn't hosting one of his three TV series, including The Thirsty Traveler and Iron Chef America, Brauch is busy traveling the world, producing, writing, and 
sometimes serving as a "celebrity bartender."

A native of Toronto, Canada, Brauch has an insatiable appetite for
not just good food and drink, but life itself. Hilarious, self-effacing,
and genuinely warm, Brauch is that rare artist whose love of people
and places comes through in everything he does. Brauch reveals a
great deal about cultures by celebrating history while honoring tradition.

Having fun is just a happy accident.
Let's start with the basics. What attracts you to the culinary world?
Good people, integrity for ingredients and safe and decent food prep. It doesn't have to be fancy -- just good ingredients,
simple preparation, honest eating. That's what I like and that's what makes my Top Eats list each and every year. The
best food is pretty much always the stuff that's had the least amount done to it. Good chefs know how to hold back.

You are best-known Stateside for Iron Chef America. What are some of the challenges of taping that show?
Keeping Alton Brown happy. (Actually, that's a lie.) That's not a difficult job, really. That's how I describe what I'm really
doing out there: making sure I always have some new and different intel for him -- whether he has a chance to use it or
not. If he calls for me to cover, I have to be ready. And if I can deliver the deciding call on a certain something on the
floor (often various cuts and types of protein can look the same…), if Alton thinks it one thing and culinary thinks it's
something else, it's my job to get in the face of the chef or the sous and figure out what cut it truly is. Also, following
and tracking certain ingredients from pressure cooker to strainer to sauce pan to blender to plate ... it can be a bit
nightmarish.
Both the American and Japanese versions of "Iron Chef" are compelling because of the spontaneity of the chefs who respond to the secret ingredient. Are you ever surprised of impressed by how fast the chefs create their recipes?
I mean, yes, of course. But from a true 60-minute battle (it's always been 60 minutes and not a minute more or less), the home audience gets to see 22 to 23 minutes of
the best "cherry-picked" moments of the show. A one-hour television show only has
48 minutes of content. So, yes, I'm impressed with the chefs' speed ... but I also
know -- and live -- a few of the "television cheats."

How did you develop The Thirsty Traveler?
From what I misheard as a job offer for The Thursday Traveler (I assumed the gig was a show about three-day
weekends: how far you go, and back in time for work on Monday) ... to accepting a job hosting "a drinking show" and
pulling a prat-fall in a barley field in Scotland during the first day's filming ... it was an organic evolution, but one I was
very much a part of. The show is about me, but not really. It's about the people I meet and their stories, their
passions and the relationships I have with them. There will only ever be one Thirsty Traveler and that is me -- but I
know I'm very lucky to have "the best job in the world" and put my heart and soul into it each and every time I leave
my house!

The Thirsty Traveler is quite the phenomenon: It's been seen in 65 countries and on five continents.
Creatively, are those numbers ever daunting?
They (the numbers) are hard to imagine. I agree with you, but I don't sit around thinking about them that often. With
satellite and digital television -- most shows on television carry similar numbers these days. It doesn't mean you're
raking in the money. Having said that, I am extremely proud of our "little" show born out of Canada that has managed
to capture the imagination of millions while both educating and entertaining people from various cultures. But it is
cool when a busload of Swedish tourists stop their bus in Portugal to meet me and get photos with me while I was
sitting on a patio having a beer, taking a break from filming. It sometimes can be surreal!

Does a drink or spirit say something about the culture from which it is produced?
Some do more than others. Some wines, beers or spirits speak to certain customs and traditions of a culture. Some
were integral to national holiday celebrations, traditional family gatherings, celebrations (weddings), observances
(death or funeral). Even in Canada, one could take something as simple as a Molson Canadian or a Labatt Blue and
build cultural significance into it as the representative beer of our national phenomena or obsession with hockey.

In Barbara Holland's The Joy of Drinking, she says: "America is currently eager to see drinking as a highly
specialized field of expertise, a job for professionals, rather than vulgar fun. To this end we stupefy everyone
with our knowledge of vintages and microbreweries, and use the word 'artisinal' a lot. The more historical
and authentic we can get, the better we feel about our expertise, whatever it tastes like." Do you agree with
this?
I'm gonna have to save most of this for when you or any of your readers meet up with me one night in a bar. I'm not
going to dispute the validity of what Barbara is saying. There's a lot of this going on at the moment. The statement as
it reads to me sounds like the industry as a whole is practicing efforts that are somewhat disingenuous. I do believe
there is a push to evolve our "craft" on many many different levels: from production of wine, beer and spirits to
excellence and education behind the wood. Again, I believe that

You spend a lot of time focused on what people consistently get right when it comes to their drinks. What do
people consistently get wrong?
Here comes the list: Over-shake cocktails, mismeasure ingredients, use a dirty glass, an un-chilled glass, unwashed
shakers, dirty hands, dirt under finger nails, expired garnish (old and dry), excessive garnish, inedible garnish, not
testing the drink before serving, touching face while making cocktails, biting nails, not asking for "rail" or "premium"
spirits, picking up change from the bar early as expected tip. How many more do we need? Some bartenders are so
good they've actually collected the 'whole set."

Please settle an argument for me: Ice matters. Does the size and shape of an ice cube actually influence the
nature of a drink?
Of course it matters! It definitely matters! Quality ice, fresh ice, new ice imparts chill without any off-flavors or taste.
Large ice (one large piece: a 2 or 4-inch square or round versus 10 to 20 small pieces) has less surface contact with
the spirit and therefore will melt more slowly and impart less water into the drink keeping it more true to the spirit
itself.

When it comes to writing, do you have a particular day-to-day creative process?
When it comes it comes and when it doesn't, I can't push it. I often start ideas while I'm either on my road bike or in
the car or shower. Pulling over to jot down ideas and random thoughts on whatever I can get my hands on, then
following up later. I use to be a more practical writer. I could get to the office in the morning with a coffee, sit at the
desk with the radio on and start plugging away. I'm of the mindset that you can't push it. It's gonna come when it's
gonna come.

Can a well-concocted drink be considered art?
Of course! Can a Sidney Crosby goal be considered art? I think you could make a better case for a well-built cocktail
mirroring what most people think of as "art." I think you can find artistic merit in many aspects of a cocktail: the
preparation, the presentation and delivery, the bouquet (aroma), the overall look and aesthetic and, finally, the taste.
Would you mind weighing in on James Bond's martini? ("Three
measures of Gordon's, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet.
Shake it very well until it's ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of
lemon-peel.") Is this a particularly interesting drink? Does it
deserve to be such an enduring drink? Why, or why not?
I'm thinking you've never had one before. Trust me, it's a gorgeous
cocktail. Just reading the ingredients makes me want to have one right
now. In fact, I might! Excuse me for a moment. Ahhhh.

It's simplicity in a cocktail glass. The balance of gin and vodka is
completely complimentary -- neither overwhelms the cocktail, so
together they seem to just lengthen it. The Lillet provides some
structure for the heavy-handed use of spirit. An orange sweetness with
the herbal bitterness of a classic aperitif.

I'm getting too heavy-handed on this right now. For God's sakes, James
Bond drank it! Why aren't you?

What is the best hangover cure you've ever encountered?
Denial, denial, denial. End of story! Failing that, a morning run (or walk….especially in France or Italy), a European
continental breakfast including proper Euro-style coffee and sparkling wine (Sekt in Germany, Prosecco in Italy) and
then, if all of that fails, just smush the face of the hangover right down into the mud with some hair-of-the-dog action
and more denial.

I once read somewhere that you write comedy. What, specifically?
I was writing performance stand-up comedy. I've done stand-up over a dozen times now but not for a few years. I do 40
to 50 corporate and event speaking/stage presentations every year. I don't write much for them anymore. I'm
comfortable taking 10 to 15 minutes before going on stage and thinking about humourous events of the current day and
incorporating them into my performance. Passion is what drives me and that's what, first and foremost, leads my
performances. Every show is an original performance utlilizing about 75-80% of the same material that, by now, is
completely ingrained in me. It's more like spoken word than "comedy."

What creative areas would you like to grow into?
Height. Yes, height and wallet size are the two areas I focus on most. Also, the ability to name the entire, new Toronto
Maple Leaf roster and every single domestic and international beer available for purchase at The Beer Store, which is
Ontario's major beer store.

What has been the most surprising part of your career?
The most surprising thing so far is that no one - no one! - has hosted or caught me by surprise in my own worst
nightmare. The thing that I worry about each and every time I walk into a room for the first time: my own, personal
intervention! But I'm sure it's only just a matter of time.

What are you currently working on?
Everything! A new show for Food Network Canada (Chef-OFF!), more Iron Chef America next spring, more MegaWorld
for Discovery Channel next summer. Pitching another two shows to networks. Lots of corporate gigs, trade show
appearances, mixology events, hosting and judging, keynote and event speaking, trying to write a mixology book, my
health, my sanity, trying to learn more ... and trying to have some fun!

Thanks for doing this, Kevin.
Cheers!